Patrick Fafard
@pfafard.bsky.social
Professor Emeritus/ Visiting Professor
Graduate School of Public & International Affairs and
Chair in Science Diplomacy, University of Ottawa.
Research Director, Global Strategy Lab, York/UOttawa
.
Graduate School of Public & International Affairs and
Chair in Science Diplomacy, University of Ottawa.
Research Director, Global Strategy Lab, York/UOttawa
.
Pinned
Patrick Fafard
@pfafard.bsky.social
· Mar 11
Thinking critically about science diplomacy
What does it mean to give scientists a 'seat at the table'?
open.substack.com
Does science diplomacy include giving scientists 'a seat at the table'? If so, to do what and with what implications?
One of the leaders of the separatist movement in Alberta concerned about communist influence on Canadian politicians:
“I have an honours degree in political science”
🤔
“I have an honours degree in political science”
🤔
"Don't you think that communist Ottawa is leveraging communist China against Alberta?" -- absolutely unreal CTV platformed this loon...
February 1, 2026 at 10:31 PM
One of the leaders of the separatist movement in Alberta concerned about communist influence on Canadian politicians:
“I have an honours degree in political science”
🤔
“I have an honours degree in political science”
🤔
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
Good interview! Yes, Canada & European countries, Japan, NZ, etc. will by default be more influential in the WHO. But unlike many of our allies, global health hasn’t been a Cdn. priority. Perhaps that will change as part of the middle power alliances & ‘variable geometry’ highlighted by the PM.
February 1, 2026 at 1:42 AM
Good interview! Yes, Canada & European countries, Japan, NZ, etc. will by default be more influential in the WHO. But unlike many of our allies, global health hasn’t been a Cdn. priority. Perhaps that will change as part of the middle power alliances & ‘variable geometry’ highlighted by the PM.
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
I was on CBC radio this week, discussing the poorly understood US departure from WHO, the deaths that Trump’s war on global health has caused, and options for other countries after the US heel turn
© CBC/Radio-Canada 2026. All rights reserved.
www.cbc.ca
February 1, 2026 at 1:15 AM
I was on CBC radio this week, discussing the poorly understood US departure from WHO, the deaths that Trump’s war on global health has caused, and options for other countries after the US heel turn
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
🇺🇳 Opinion: ‘Europe has greater responsibility in the World Health Organization without the United States’ - Writes Professor Ilona Kickbusch in @bmj.com
‘Europe must become a proactive system stabiliser as the principal guarantor of @who.int ’s operational continuity’
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
‘Europe must become a proactive system stabiliser as the principal guarantor of @who.int ’s operational continuity’
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
Europe has greater responsibility in the WHO without the United States
The US’s withdrawal from WHO makes Europe the system stabiliser in global health multilateralism, writes Ilona Kickbusch
At the upcoming executive board meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO...
www.bmj.com
February 1, 2026 at 7:45 AM
🇺🇳 Opinion: ‘Europe has greater responsibility in the World Health Organization without the United States’ - Writes Professor Ilona Kickbusch in @bmj.com
‘Europe must become a proactive system stabiliser as the principal guarantor of @who.int ’s operational continuity’
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
‘Europe must become a proactive system stabiliser as the principal guarantor of @who.int ’s operational continuity’
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
Martin has been one of the most high profile commentators on health policy in Canada for many years now. Her interventions are based on real world experience & a good understanding of the research.
If she is elected to the House of Commons, the quality of debate about health issues will improve.
If she is elected to the House of Commons, the quality of debate about health issues will improve.
Danielle Martin is an experienced family physician and health care leader with deep roots in University—Rosedale.
We’re thrilled to welcome her as our Liberal candidate in the upcoming federal by-election.
We’re thrilled to welcome her as our Liberal candidate in the upcoming federal by-election.
January 31, 2026 at 9:17 PM
Martin has been one of the most high profile commentators on health policy in Canada for many years now. Her interventions are based on real world experience & a good understanding of the research.
If she is elected to the House of Commons, the quality of debate about health issues will improve.
If she is elected to the House of Commons, the quality of debate about health issues will improve.
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
Take a look at @matthewkavanagh.bsky.social's essay that considers how global public investment is critical for future engagement, arguing, "A new vision for global health must move toward mechanisms that treat health as a truly global public good."
sciencepolitics.org/2026/01/26/t...
sciencepolitics.org/2026/01/26/t...
The Rupture in Global Health Is a Warning - Science Politics
Explore how The Rupture in Global Health Is a Warning for future governance and support systems in health programs worldwide.
sciencepolitics.org
January 26, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Take a look at @matthewkavanagh.bsky.social's essay that considers how global public investment is critical for future engagement, arguing, "A new vision for global health must move toward mechanisms that treat health as a truly global public good."
sciencepolitics.org/2026/01/26/t...
sciencepolitics.org/2026/01/26/t...
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
I know all eyes are on Minneapolis, but there's a fast-approaching nightmare in Springfield, Ohio.
Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.
Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.
Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.
Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.
January 28, 2026 at 11:38 PM
I know all eyes are on Minneapolis, but there's a fast-approaching nightmare in Springfield, Ohio.
Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.
Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.
Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.
Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
Next step: telling the world’s largest vaccine body to use homeopathy instead, otherwise you won’t fund them
This preservative keeps vaccines stable in hot countries, so poor kids can still be vaccinated. It can’t be removed
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
This preservative keeps vaccines stable in hot countries, so poor kids can still be vaccinated. It can’t be removed
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Exclusive: US conditions funding to global vaccine group on dropping mercury-based preservative from shots
The Trump administration has told global vaccine group Gavi to phase out shots containing the preservative thimerosal as a condition of providing the group with funding, a U.S. official and a Gavi spo...
www.reuters.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:39 PM
Next step: telling the world’s largest vaccine body to use homeopathy instead, otherwise you won’t fund them
This preservative keeps vaccines stable in hot countries, so poor kids can still be vaccinated. It can’t be removed
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
This preservative keeps vaccines stable in hot countries, so poor kids can still be vaccinated. It can’t be removed
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
Antibiotic resistance is a One Health challenge spanning humans, animals, and the environment. But how well do current stewardship policies reflect this in practice?
This scoping review maps policy interventions and reveals where One Health is taking shape and where gaps remain.
bit.ly/3NR4Lxp
This scoping review maps policy interventions and reveals where One Health is taking shape and where gaps remain.
bit.ly/3NR4Lxp
Frontiers | Exploring antibiotic stewardship interventions within a One Health context: a scoping review
Antibiotic resistance (ABR) presents a global threat to human health, animal health, and the environment. While ABR is a natural phenomenon, the overuse and ...
www.frontiersin.org
January 28, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Antibiotic resistance is a One Health challenge spanning humans, animals, and the environment. But how well do current stewardship policies reflect this in practice?
This scoping review maps policy interventions and reveals where One Health is taking shape and where gaps remain.
bit.ly/3NR4Lxp
This scoping review maps policy interventions and reveals where One Health is taking shape and where gaps remain.
bit.ly/3NR4Lxp
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
In a perfect world, vaccine childhood vaccine mandates wouldn't be necessary. But we live in a world where grifters will sacrifice children for political and financial gain, so we need to protect kids, by @picardonhealth.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/0fc7a92... via @theglobeandmail.com
Should we do away with childhood vaccine mandates?
It would be nice if voluntary programs were sufficient, but that’s not the case
www.theglobeandmail.com
January 27, 2026 at 10:36 PM
In a perfect world, vaccine childhood vaccine mandates wouldn't be necessary. But we live in a world where grifters will sacrifice children for political and financial gain, so we need to protect kids, by @picardonhealth.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/0fc7a92... via @theglobeandmail.com
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
January 27, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
📢Nouveau blog de Peter Jones - Trump : y a-t-il une méthode dans sa folie ?
🔗 www.cips-cepi.ca/2026/01/27/t...
🔗 www.cips-cepi.ca/2026/01/27/t...
January 27, 2026 at 4:35 PM
📢Nouveau blog de Peter Jones - Trump : y a-t-il une méthode dans sa folie ?
🔗 www.cips-cepi.ca/2026/01/27/t...
🔗 www.cips-cepi.ca/2026/01/27/t...
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
Remarkable & deeply troubling that Alberta judges feel compelled to issue this statement. Further evidence that the decline of liberal democratic norms & institutions in the USA is having an effect on Canada. The impact is not just on public opinion but also on the governments we have elected.
The front page of Alberta Courts website is now joint statement by chief justices of all three court levels, proclaiming the importance of judicial independence. albertacourts.ca
January 27, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Remarkable & deeply troubling that Alberta judges feel compelled to issue this statement. Further evidence that the decline of liberal democratic norms & institutions in the USA is having an effect on Canada. The impact is not just on public opinion but also on the governments we have elected.
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
I am unsure whether Rutte is staking out a particularly undignified position on his own (perhaps with quiet support from some member states) or whether he is the designated nice guy in a broader and more coherent European strategy
'If anyone thinks here . . . that the European Union or Europe as a whole can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming,' Nato's secretary-general Mark Rutte said in remarks to the European parliament. ft.trib.al/S4wesRl
January 26, 2026 at 9:00 PM
I am unsure whether Rutte is staking out a particularly undignified position on his own (perhaps with quiet support from some member states) or whether he is the designated nice guy in a broader and more coherent European strategy
In his now-famous Davos speech, Mark Carney celebrated "variable geometry", different coalitions for different issues, based on common values and interests.
Arguably, the "Board of Peace", led by Donald Trump, is just such a coalition.
Arguably, the "Board of Peace", led by Donald Trump, is just such a coalition.
January 26, 2026 at 7:17 PM
In his now-famous Davos speech, Mark Carney celebrated "variable geometry", different coalitions for different issues, based on common values and interests.
Arguably, the "Board of Peace", led by Donald Trump, is just such a coalition.
Arguably, the "Board of Peace", led by Donald Trump, is just such a coalition.
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
Pune, India: Officials report a decline in drug-resistant #tuberculosis, but clinicians caution that antibiotic misuse and harder-to-detect #TB may mean the problem isn’t fully visible yet.
#AMR
#PublicHealth
#InfectiousDisease
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/pm...
#AMR
#PublicHealth
#InfectiousDisease
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/pm...
PMC reports decline in drug-resistant TB cases, doctors differ | Pune News - The Times of India
Pune: Despite the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), official data from PMC indicates a decline in multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MD.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Pune, India: Officials report a decline in drug-resistant #tuberculosis, but clinicians caution that antibiotic misuse and harder-to-detect #TB may mean the problem isn’t fully visible yet.
#AMR
#PublicHealth
#InfectiousDisease
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/pm...
#AMR
#PublicHealth
#InfectiousDisease
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/pm...
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
That's the thing, Ross Douthat. Canada et. al. aren't ignorant of China, waiting for a US columnist to explain it. They've considered the alternatives, and are still choosing to distance themselves from the US.
I'd say Douthat's so close to getting it, but he is ideologically incapable of that.
I'd say Douthat's so close to getting it, but he is ideologically incapable of that.
January 25, 2026 at 2:06 PM
That's the thing, Ross Douthat. Canada et. al. aren't ignorant of China, waiting for a US columnist to explain it. They've considered the alternatives, and are still choosing to distance themselves from the US.
I'd say Douthat's so close to getting it, but he is ideologically incapable of that.
I'd say Douthat's so close to getting it, but he is ideologically incapable of that.
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
A Utah plastic surgeon was on trial for falsifying COVID-19 vaccine cards.
Then Pam Bondi stepped in.
Bondi’s dismissal of the case signals the increasing clout of “medical freedom” activists and vaccine skeptics under the leadership of RFK Jr.
With @sltrib.com
Then Pam Bondi stepped in.
Bondi’s dismissal of the case signals the increasing clout of “medical freedom” activists and vaccine skeptics under the leadership of RFK Jr.
With @sltrib.com
Pam Bondi Dismissed Charges Against a Surgeon Who Falsified Vaccine Cards. It Emboldened Others With Similar Cases.
A Utah surgeon’s victory in a vaccine fraud case has encouraged other “medical freedom” advocates to consider seeking leniency for similar charges. “This undermines every layer of the system that prot...
www.propublica.org
January 25, 2026 at 3:00 PM
A Utah plastic surgeon was on trial for falsifying COVID-19 vaccine cards.
Then Pam Bondi stepped in.
Bondi’s dismissal of the case signals the increasing clout of “medical freedom” activists and vaccine skeptics under the leadership of RFK Jr.
With @sltrib.com
Then Pam Bondi stepped in.
Bondi’s dismissal of the case signals the increasing clout of “medical freedom” activists and vaccine skeptics under the leadership of RFK Jr.
With @sltrib.com
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
Fact check: The US trades a lot more with China than Canada does - not just in absolute $ but also relative to each country's total trade.
* US trade with China = 10.9% of total US trade
* Canada's trade with China = 7.9% of total Canadian trade
Data sources: x.com/rolandparis/...
* US trade with China = 10.9% of total US trade
* Canada's trade with China = 7.9% of total Canadian trade
Data sources: x.com/rolandparis/...
January 24, 2026 at 8:10 PM
Fact check: The US trades a lot more with China than Canada does - not just in absolute $ but also relative to each country's total trade.
* US trade with China = 10.9% of total US trade
* Canada's trade with China = 7.9% of total Canadian trade
Data sources: x.com/rolandparis/...
* US trade with China = 10.9% of total US trade
* Canada's trade with China = 7.9% of total Canadian trade
Data sources: x.com/rolandparis/...
⬇️. Precisely.
When people refuse to get vaccinated, simply piling on more evidence of their effectiveness is not enough. The same holds for politic leaders & the officials they appoint.
There are, however, powerful moral arguments that are more appropriate (& by extension political ones as well).
When people refuse to get vaccinated, simply piling on more evidence of their effectiveness is not enough. The same holds for politic leaders & the officials they appoint.
There are, however, powerful moral arguments that are more appropriate (& by extension political ones as well).
It's incongruous to suggest that invoking "a person's right to refuse a vaccine" entails a rejection of decades of science.
If one strongly believes people should have the right to refuse a vaccine, no amount of evidence rebuts this.
This is a moral claim, and we need to engage with it as such.
If one strongly believes people should have the right to refuse a vaccine, no amount of evidence rebuts this.
This is a moral claim, and we need to engage with it as such.
Rejecting Decades of Science, U.S. Vaccine Panel Chair Says Polio and Other Shots Should Be Optional. Dr. Kirk Milhoan said a person’s right to refuse a vaccine outweighed concerns about illness or death from infectious diseases. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/h... via @nytimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 5:40 PM
⬇️. Precisely.
When people refuse to get vaccinated, simply piling on more evidence of their effectiveness is not enough. The same holds for politic leaders & the officials they appoint.
There are, however, powerful moral arguments that are more appropriate (& by extension political ones as well).
When people refuse to get vaccinated, simply piling on more evidence of their effectiveness is not enough. The same holds for politic leaders & the officials they appoint.
There are, however, powerful moral arguments that are more appropriate (& by extension political ones as well).
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
The Case for Compassion Over Tough Love Overdose Prevention Sites, by @maiasz.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/o... via @nytopinion.nytimes.com #addiction #HarmReduction
Opinion | The Case for Compassion Over Tough Love
www.nytimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:35 AM
The Case for Compassion Over Tough Love Overdose Prevention Sites, by @maiasz.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/o... via @nytopinion.nytimes.com #addiction #HarmReduction
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
Here's a companion piece to the @nytimes.com essay today, from @jabarocas.bsky.social
"Undermining harm reduction ... is an assault on an approach to health care that prioritizes evidence, compassion, and dignity — values that are central to the medical profession." www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
"Undermining harm reduction ... is an assault on an approach to health care that prioritizes evidence, compassion, and dignity — values that are central to the medical profession." www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
The Erosion of Harm Reduction | NEJM
The U.S. administration has continuously chipped away at public health interventions
addressing substance use disorders and the opioid crisis, including vital harm-reduction
activities.
www.nejm.org
January 23, 2026 at 7:23 PM
Here's a companion piece to the @nytimes.com essay today, from @jabarocas.bsky.social
"Undermining harm reduction ... is an assault on an approach to health care that prioritizes evidence, compassion, and dignity — values that are central to the medical profession." www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
"Undermining harm reduction ... is an assault on an approach to health care that prioritizes evidence, compassion, and dignity — values that are central to the medical profession." www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
California just joined the World Health Organization.
I love it.
I love it.
California joins WHO public health network following US exit, marking a first for any state
California joined WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, countering federal withdrawal from the organization.
www.abc10.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:30 PM
California just joined the World Health Organization.
I love it.
I love it.
Reposted by Patrick Fafard
Worth reading:
"Living in a multipolar world, and indeed exercising leadership in such a world, as the PM wants to do, will require an enormous reorientation of Canadian thinking, as well as a wide range of rules, norms, and practices."
"Living in a multipolar world, and indeed exercising leadership in such a world, as the PM wants to do, will require an enormous reorientation of Canadian thinking, as well as a wide range of rules, norms, and practices."
January 23, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Worth reading:
"Living in a multipolar world, and indeed exercising leadership in such a world, as the PM wants to do, will require an enormous reorientation of Canadian thinking, as well as a wide range of rules, norms, and practices."
"Living in a multipolar world, and indeed exercising leadership in such a world, as the PM wants to do, will require an enormous reorientation of Canadian thinking, as well as a wide range of rules, norms, and practices."